Improved post-office cabinet for sunday-school atjd other rooms



sited ists Letters Patent No. 106,325, dated August 16, 187 (l.

IMPROVED POST-OFFICE CABINET FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND OTHER ROOMS.

The Schedule referred 'to in these Letters Patent and making part of the tama wem.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM M. CLARK and ALEXANDER CLARK, both of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a Post-oiice Cabinet for Sunday-school and other Rooms, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawingfcrming part of this specieation.'

Theobject of ourinvention'is to provide a convenient and portable receptacle for letters, cards, books, and other articles to be distributed throughout a school or any other assembly inwhieh it may be desirable to effect the distribution of such matter.V To this end,

It consists in a case suitably constructed, and having compartments suitably arranged therein for the reception and arrangement of the books, letters, and other articles to be vplaced the-rein, and their distribution.

1 n the accompanying drawing which illustrates our invention Figure 1 is a front view of-the cabinet;

Figure 2 is a back view,'sho`winflr the door open 5 and Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the same, representing the door closed in bold outline and open in dotted outline,

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The cabinet consists ot' an upright case, in the lower part of which there are three compartments, A, B, and C, arranged side by side.

One of the outer compartments, A, is for the reception of books and the larger articles, and is provided with a mouth or slot, a, in the front of the case, through which the articles are inserted into the said compartment.

rlhe compartment B, on the opposite side, is provided with a smaller slot, b, in the front of the case, for the reception of letters.

The centra-l compartment, front.

Over these compartments A B C are arranged two series of pigeon-boies,` those, `D D, over the compartment A for books and other articles, being of a size for the reception ot' these articles, and those, 'G G, which are arranged over the compartment' being smaller, for the reeption of letters and cards. These pigeon-holes are lettered or numbered, one of each sen ries `for cach class in the school, or portion or member of the assembly. 'llhat part of the Vfront of the case opposite the two series of pigon-holes is glazed, that lthe content-s of the holes may be seen.

Above the pigeon holes the back and front oi' the easeA are extended upward, to form bearings for an axle, E, on which, near the front of the case, is secured e dial-piece,l1`. l This dial-piece is of such shape C, has no opening in as to allow it to make a quarter of a revolution, but so as to be prevented from turning'fnvtber by corners in contact with the top of the case.

On portions of thefront of this dial-piece F are inscribed the words closed and open, at right angies to each other, either of which may be made visible through a hole, d, in the extended upper part of the front ofthe case, by turning the axle E to the extent oi' its revolution permitted in either direction.

Atthe end of the axle E is an indicating-finger, c,

by which the axle may be turned, and which, pointing on a dial arranged on the back of the case, shows which 'of the words on the dial-piece is revealed to view.

Running transverselythrough the center of or around the axle E is a pin or cam, c, which,by the act ot turning the axle, is made to act upon a spring hammer, f, to ring a bell, H, which is arranged upon the top of the case.

To the lower part of tbe case there is hinged, at its lower edge, a door, J, which, when closed, covers the three compartments, A B C, and the whole ofthe two series Y of Vpigeon-holes, and, when open, leaves said compartments and pigeon-holes all-open.

The Vsaid door is provided at the bottom with a tongue, y, which, when the door is open, enters between the compartments A B, under the compartment C, and serves as a stop in contact with the bottom ot' the latter, to prevent the door from falling far below a horizontal position, thus enabling the .said door, when open, to form a table or desk, as shown in dotted outline iu fig. 3.

The books and letters are pnt into the compartments AB, through their respective openings in the frontof the case, and are by the postmasteror person in charge assorted and placed iu the pigeowholes belonging to the different classes or portions or members of the assembly, the dial-piece during this time showing the word close 5 and when the person in charge wishes to notify thc scholars or assembly to come forward to receive theirbooks, letters, Stc., he turns the indicator at the back of the desk to the work open on the dial, by which the axle is turned, and the transverse pin or cam operates the hammer, making itstrike the bell, and at the same time turns the word open7 on the dial-piece into view through the hole l in the front ot' the case, and the scholars or assembly a-re apprised that the cabinety is open.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to se- 4cure by Letters Patent, is-

A cabinet, consisting ot' compartments A B and glazed pigeon-holes D G, and providedwith a door, J, indicator F, and signal-bell, substantially asshown and described.

WM. M. CLARK. ALEX. CLARK.

Witnesses:

11. M. 'ltIAGaF, T. J. MeENU'LTr.' 

